The place was a Broadway cellar that, with characteristic and not very exaggerated swagger, proclaimed itself "The Jazz Corner of the World." The date was mid-June 1963, when the New York post-bop era was still very much in progress. The bandleader was Art Blakey, then–as he continued to be for over two decades–celebrated as a developer of major new talent (the young lineup on this occasion included such as Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter). The result, this Jazz Messengers album, remains a swinging pleasure and a reaffirmation of the belief that this kind of on-the-scene adventure can create some of the most effective recorded jazz.

One by One, Ugetsu, Time Off, Ping-Pong, I Didn't Know What Time It Was, On the Ginza, plus CD bonus tracks Eva, The High Priest, The Theme